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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24869092">Safe Haven: Annie &amp; Ty one shot</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassieJohnson05/pseuds/CassieJohnson05'>CassieJohnson05</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sweet Magnolias (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:33:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24869092</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassieJohnson05/pseuds/CassieJohnson05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This one is about Ty and Annie handling their long distance relationship as Ty heads off to college.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annie Sullivan/Ty Townsend, Ty Townsend/Annie Sullivan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Safe Haven: Annie &amp; Ty one shot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ty was on his way over to the Sullivan residence as he knew his number of days remaining in Serenity dwindled as he was heading off to the University of Georgia on a full athletic scholarship. He tried to spend as much time with those he loved especially Annie before he had to leave them. He wasn’t going to be coming home as often as he liked. If anything Ty wouldn’t be home until Thanksgiving  break at the earliest but it would most likely be Christmas break in all honesty. </p><p>Ty knocked on the front door waiting for one of the Sullivan women to answer. A few moments later, Dana Sue came to the door, letting him inside. “Hi Ty! It’s good to see you.” Dana Sue as she hugged him.</p><p>“It’s good to see you too.” Ty chuckled even though he had seen her everyday this week when he came to pick up Annie.</p><p>“Annie! Tyler is here.” Dana Sue yelled up the stairs as Ty just stood there with his hands in his pocket.</p><p>“Okay. Okay. I’m coming.” Annie sighed as she made her way down the stairs. She gave Ty a soft smile as he couldn’t help but grin at the fact that his girl was so dang gorgeous. </p><p>Ty walked over to the stairs to greet his girl giving her a kiss on the cheek, causing her to slightly frown. “Gosh, my girl is gorgeous! Are you ready to go?” Ty asked as he took her hand helping her off the last couple of steps.</p><p>“Let’s go. Wait, where are we going? I don’t think you told me.” Annie raised her eyebrow pouting hoping he’d give in.</p><p>“It’s a surprise, Annie.” Ty said as he put his hand on the small of her back.</p><p>“Bye Mom!”</p><p>“Bye. Please don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Dana Sue yelled as the two young kids were already out the door and headed to whatever Ty had planned for the day.</p><p>Dana Sue walked over to the window to observe the two of them. She saw them walking hand in hand while making their way to the car, Coach Cal and Maddie got Ty as a graduation gift. She watched as he  opened and closed the door for Annie before running over to the driver’s side. </p><p>Annie sat there just staring out the window not paying attention to much of anything. Ty looked over at Annie he could tell that something was bothering her. He knew exactly what it was. He was leaving in a few days and he knew Annie wasn’t a fan of the fact that they’d be in a long distant relationship. Ty reached over to grab her hand, startling her a little bit. </p><p>“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. What’s going on, Annie?” Ty asked as he felt Annie’s grip tighten. </p><p>“I don’t want to talk about it. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Annie asked changing the subject.</p><p>“You know you’re gonna have to tell me what’s going on sooner rather than later, right? I’m not telling you where we’re heading Annabelle.” Ty watched Annie out of the corner of his eye as she just sighed and then continued to look out the window. </p><p>Ty didn’t bother pressing Annie any further as he knew that his leaving wasn’t going to be easy on her. He didn’t know who’d have a harder time his mom or Annie. Soon Ty stopped at their destination. He got out of the car and ran over to the passenger side opening the door for Annie. Ty took Annie’s hand in his and as soon as he did he felt her grip tighten. </p><p>He led them down this path that was lit up. She didn’t even try to get him to tell her what he was up to. He felt Annie lean her head on his shoulder as they continued their way down the path. “Here we are.” Ty said as he stopped causing Annie to stop as well. Annie looked around to see a candle lit dinner set for two. Tyler Townsend has really out done himself. Everyday she spent with him just kept getting better and better with him. </p><p>“Come on!” Ty smiled as he directed Annie over to the table. In true gentleman fashion he pulled out her seat for her before making his way over to his seat. </p><p>Annie just looked around, she was speechless but not even this romantic dinner could make her forget that her boyfriend was leaving for college in a few days. They definitely would have more time together if he wasn’t such a damn good athlete. </p><p>Ty reached over and grabbed Annie’s hand giving it a squeeze. “Annie, I know this is hard. It’s hard on me too. If I could stay longer you know I would. I don’t want to leave you. I really don’t. But it won’t be like this forever.” Ty sighed as he knew Annie was about to cry. He could tell she had been holding in the tears for some time now. </p><p>Ty walked over to Annie not letting go of her hand before embracing her into a hug. “It’s gonna be okay. You and I can handle this. We’ve handled harder things, Annie.”</p><p>“I don’t like this. I don’t want you to go.” Annie said as she wiped away her tears. Ty look her hand back once she was finished wiping away the tears. </p><p>“Come here, babe.” Ty said as he pulled her up out of her seat before taking a seat in  the spot she had just sat in. Once he was seated he pulled Annie down onto his lap wrapping his hands around her waist while resting his head on her shoulder. “I know you don’t but this isn’t forever. I’ll be attending school in Georgia. Which you can come visit anytime. You can use your dad as an excuse to go visit. And I’ll come pick you up. We’ll make this work. There’s no reason to believe we can’t.” Ty stated as he kissed her cheek. </p><p>“I hope you’re right. Knowing my luck you’ll have some hot blonde chick by your side come Thanksgiving.” Annie teased. </p><p>“Not a chance. You’re the only girl I have my eyes on. I know we haven’t discussed much about breaks and such.” Ty sighed before continuing. “But I don’t think I’ll be able to make it home for Thanksgiving in November. I’ll definitely be home for Christmas you can count on that.”</p><p>“Wait, you’re really not going for be home for Thanksgiving? I was really looking forward to seeing you.”</p><p>“I know. I know. I’ll definitely make it up to you. Promise.”</p><p>“I love you Tyler!”</p><p>“I love you too, Annabelle!” </p><p>That night had gone by and so had the next couple of days. Before Annie knew it, the day she was dreading was here. The day her boyfriend left for college. She walked over to the Townsend/ Maddox residence. Everyone had already started to help load Ty’s belongings into the cars. </p><p>Annie made her way inside in search of her boyfriend. She could hear someone upstairs so she headed the direction. She stopped outside his room taking a deep breath. She told herself that she wouldn’t cry today. But who was she kidding there were going to be tears whether she wanted there to be or not. “Hey stranger!” Annie said as she peeked her head inside Ty’s room. “Need any help?” Annie said as she walked into his room.</p><p>“I’d like that very much.” Ty sighed as he wrapped his arms around Annie. “Gosh, I’m not ready to leave you.” Ty said as he kissed her.</p><p>“I’m not ready either. But we’ve got this like you said.” Annie stated as she took a look around his room at all the boxes scattered everywhere. </p><p>“That we do. Come on we need to get to work before my mom comes up here and yells at us.” Ty chuckled knowing that’s how Maddie was dealing with him fleeing the nest.</p><p>Before either one of them realized it that was the last of the stuff that Ty was bringing to college. Ty could see the fear in Annie’s eyes. Even though she tried to hide it. If there was one person she couldn’t hide from it was Ty. He saw her unlike everyone else.  “It’ll be okay, I promise.” Ty said as he pulled Annie up from the spot on his bed bringing her in for a kiss. </p><p>“I know. I know. Before I forget I have something for you.” Annie said as she reached for the small gift bag down by her feet. </p><p>“You didn’t have to get me anything.” Ty kissed her cheek before opening up the gift his girl had brought him. Ty couldn’t believe it, it was the best photo of him and Annie. It was a picture of them after he had just got the final out of the state game. “You didn’t have to do this. I love it, Annie.” Ty said as he pulled her in for a kiss. </p><p>“I’m so happy you like it. I figured you’d need a picture of us to show off in your dorm room.”</p><p>“I don’t just like it, I love it. I mean I’m never opposed to having pictures of you around! As much as I’d hate to say it we’ve gotta go.” Ty said as he took ahold of Annie’s hand with his gift in the other hand pulling them towards the door. </p><p>Ty said his goodbyes to everyone who wouldn’t be making the long drive to Georgia to drop him off at college. At this point, Maddie didn’t need Annie to watch Katie, she had Kyle who could do it. Annie kept her distance as Ty was still making his way around the room. Soon it would be her turn. The moment she dreaded was coming. She knew the moment he said her name there would be tears. </p><p>Sure enough Ty came over to where she stood. She found herself looking at her converse to avoid making eye contact with Ty. “Y’all, let’s give these two a moment alone shall we? I just want to triple check to make sure everything’s in there.” Maddie said as everyone made their way out of the house. </p><p>It was just the two of them.  Ty and Annie. Annie and Ty. Annie still refused to look up at Ty. Of course Ty wasn’t oblivious not anymore. “We both knew this wasn’t going to be easy. But you’re my girl nothing’s going to change that..” </p><p>“Okay. You should go before I kidnap you.” Annie teased as Ty could tell that she was very serious.</p><p>“I’ll see you soon. This isn’t goodbye.” Ty said as he pulled Annie in for a hug. He felt her let herself go as he held her tightly.</p><p>“It’s just see you later.” Annie sniffled as she kissed her boyfriend one last time before he left. “Go Ty.” Annie broke free from their embrace.</p><p>“I’m not done yet.” Ty confessed as he pulled Annie back in for a kiss. Ty pulled away first after about five minutes. “I love you, Annie.” </p><p>“I love you too Ty. FaceTime when you get there?”</p><p>“Absolutely! That’ll be the first thing I do when I get there.” Ty said as he hugged and kissed her one last time before making his way outside to join the others.</p><p>Annie watched as Ty said goodbye to her mom, Aunt Helen, Erik, Gabe, Katie and Kyle. It brought her comfort that she wasn’t going to be only one missing Ty. Of course there was no telling who would be missing him the most Maddie or Annie. Cal, Maddie, Bill and Ty all headed to their cars so they could begin the long drive to Georgia. Annie prayed that he wouldn’t look back in her direction. If he did she was done for. Ty got into his car without looking back. Annie felt a sense of relief that he didn’t look back. </p><p>Ty was gone leaving Annie alone to deal with everyone else looking at her as if she was about to have a breakdown over the fact that her boyfriend had just left her. “Can y’all stop looking at me like that?” </p><p>“Like what?” Gabe asked stirring the pot that had been brewing for quite some time. </p><p>“Like, I’m about to lose it over the fact that my boyfriend just left me to go off to college.” </p><p>As promised the first thing Tyler Townsend did was FaceTime Annie when he arrived at the university. They both knew the whole long distance thing was going to put their relationship through so much but if they could find their way to each other; nothing would be able to bring them down. Not even long distance itself.</p><p>A first few months had gone pretty quick all things considered. Ty and Annie were making it work. It wasn’t easy though. Ty had to juggle baseball, classes and his relationship while Annie found herself struggling to juggle her senior year, applying to colleges, shifts at Sullivan’s and her relationship with Ty. It had taken some adjusting for the two of them but they were finally able to find a system that worked. </p><p>They talked every chance they could. Sometimes it wasn’t for very long but the fact they were able to make it work was a miracle in itself. Thanksgiving break was approaching fast and Annie felt pretty down that she wouldn’t be seeing Ty. He was staying in Georgia. She thought about going to surprise him but couldn’t blow off her shifts at Sullivan’s. Dana Sue would murder her. </p><p>It was the busiest hour at the restaurant when Annie felt her phone buzz. She took it out of her apron as her five minute break was about to end. Her face lit up when she saw who it was. “I miss you.” Annie sighed as she knew this was going to be a short conversation because she had to get back to it.</p><p>“I miss you too, Annie. Is everything alright?” Ty asked as he could tell something had been bothering her. </p><p>“Everything’s as okay as it can be. I’m sorry I have to cut this short. But things at Sullivan’s are crazy. Everyone and their damn mother decided they needed to show up here tonight. I’ll call you later.” Annie said as she missed the sound of Ty’s voice.</p><p>“I love you, Annie.” Ty knew he didn’t have to say it but felt like she needed to hear it.</p><p>“I love you too. I gotta go.”</p><p>“We’ll talk soon I promise.” Ty said as he knew Annie needed to get back to work. </p><p>Annie threw her phone back into the pocket of her apron before getting back to work. She just wanted to go home already but she couldn’t. It felt as if closing time would never come. Especially with Dana Sue out of town with her farmer boyfriend. Annie just continued to put on a smile hoping the customers wouldn’t be able to see that she was anything but okay.</p><p>Meanwhile, Ty was sitting in the driveway at the Townsend/Maddox residence. He decided to come home for Thanksgiving after all, he hadn’t told anyone. He wanted to surprise everyone. Especially Annie. He knew if he showed up at Sullivan’s right now there’s no way Annie would finish her shift. He sighed before grabbing his bag so he could make his way into the house.</p><p>Maddie heard the door open, she didn’t think anything of it. Ty set his stuff down quietly. The only person who knew of his presence was Cal. Cal smiled as Ty was getting ready to surprise Maddie and the younger Townsend siblings.</p><p>“Hi y’all!” Ty said making everyone turn in his direction. Everyone was shocked to see him standing there. </p><p>“Oh my Tyler!” Maddie screamed before running over to hug her eldest child. She didn’t care how old he got he would always be her baby.</p><p>“Hi Mom. I’ve missed you.”</p><p>“Wait, I thought you weren’t coming home for Thanksgiving.” </p><p>“That was the plan but it just didn’t feel right.” Ty said as his two younger siblings waited to greet him for the first time since July.</p><p>“In other words he’s only here to see Annie.” Kyle mocked as he hugged his older brother.</p><p>“Did Annie know that you were coming home?”</p><p>“No Mom, she doesn’t know yet. I talked to her earlier on the phone and she sounded stressed. I figured I’d hangout here until her shift was over.” </p><p>“Yeah, Annie has had a rough time as of late.” </p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“I just mean it’s her senior year, applying to colleges and all that. It’s a lot of pressure. You know how it is.” Maddie said as she hoped her son would just let it go, but she knew better.</p><p>“Mom, what aren’t you telling me?” Ty asked as he could tell she was leaving something out. “What don’t I know about Annie?”</p><p>“Look, Tyler. It’s not my place to tell you. You should talk to Annie. I know she’ll be excited to see you. Speaking of that girlfriend of yours her shift is almost over. You should get going.”</p><p>“Fine, I’ll talk to her but don’t think you’re off the hook for keeping secrets that have to do with Annie from me. I’m not happy, Mom.” Ty said as he grabbed his keys and phone before heading back out to his car to pick up Annie.</p><p>Annie was the only one left in the restaurant. Erik and Isaac both finished their tasks. They volunteered to stay and help her but she declined. Annie was finishing wiping down the counter, when she heard the bell at the door go off. That meant that someone had just entered the restaurant. “I’m sorry we’re closed.” Annie apologized as she continued to wipe down the counter not bothering to look up. </p><p>Ty watched Annie as she continued to finish wiping, he worried about her especially after the conversation he had with Maddie. He was going to get to the bottom of it, but now wasn’t the time for that conversation. Ty cleared his throat, “You know I’m pretty good at wiping down counters, would you like some help with that?” He asked causing Annie to finally look up. </p><p>Annie stopped what she was doing and ran into his arms. They both felt a sense of relief as they stood there holding each other. Annie felt Ty’s grip around her waist get tighter causing him to pull her closer to him. “What are you doing here, Ty?” She questioned as he never mentioned coming home to her.</p><p>“Uh. I decided to come home at the last possible second. When I called earlier I was already driving through Serenity. I thought about stopping by during your shift but decided to just wait until afterwards.” </p><p>“I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve missed you so so much.” Annie said as she kissed him. She felt Ty pull her closer to him as their kiss intensified. </p><p>Ty broke their embrace he just couldn’t get what his mom said out of his head. There was something going on with Annie and she hadn’t told him. Annie could see the worry in his eyes, “what’s wrong?” Annie asked as she took his hand sitting down. </p><p>Ty took a deep breath as he sat down, he really wasn’t sure how to ask what was going on with Annie. “We’ve always told each other everything. We’ve never kept secrets from each other.” Ty squeezed Annie’s hand. </p><p>“Tyler, what’s going on?”</p><p>“I spoke to my mom. She said there was something going on with you but wouldn’t tell me what. I guess she thought you told me. What’s going on?” Ty asked as he saw Annie’s demeanor change. </p><p>“It was nothing. I didn’t want to bother you with it. You had enough on your plate.” </p><p>“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? What was my mom talking about? I’m not letting this go. I’ve got all the time in the world.” </p><p>“You’re very persistent, aren’t you?” Annie sighed as she knew that she had to be honest with him. “A few weeks ago, I had a panic attack out of nowhere. I don’t know why it happened. I was at school and I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d come home and that was the last thing that either one of us needed. I’m fine, Ty. No need to worry.” </p><p>“Annabelle, I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for you. I don’t care if you didn’t want to worry me you should’ve told me. You’re probably right I would’ve come home. No more secrets, okay? That’s not something I want in our relationship. That’s not who we are.” Ty said as he got up and pulled Annie in for a hug.</p><p>“Okay. No more secrets. Promise. Can we go now? I’m exhausted.” Annie yawned as she got up to grab her stuff. Ty followed her as she made sure everything was turned off for the millionth time before locking up.</p><p>Ty took Annie’s hand as they walked to his car. He missed this. There was no way he was going to spend another second away from her. He felt as if her panic attack was his fault in a way because he hadn’t been there for her as much. </p><p>“Do you want to stay the night at my house? I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind. You’ll have to sleep in the guest room of course.” Ty said as he started to head in the direction of their houses.</p><p>“I’d love to but I don’t have any clothes to sleep in.” Annie blushed as she felt Ty take her hand in his.</p><p>“You can borrow some of mine. You look better in my clothes anyways.” Ty chuckled as he pulled into the driveway.</p><p>Ty pulled Annie into his side as they made their way into the house. It was late so he figured everyone would be asleep. As Ty and Annie made their way upstairs, Maddie popped up at the top of the stairs. “Tyler, I know you’ve missed Annie. But you know the rules. No girls in your room.”</p><p>“I know, she’s going to sleep in the guest room.” Ty explained as he looked up at his mom who just shook her head. </p><p>“Good night you two.” Maddie yawned as she made her way back to her room.</p><p>“Good night, Mom.”</p><p>“Good night, Maddie.” Annie said as she gripped Ty’s hand a little tighter. “I can go home if this is going to be an issue.” </p><p>“You’re not going anywhere.” Ty said as he kissed Annie’s cheek as he reached his room guiding them inside. “Make yourself at home. I’m gonna find you something to sleep in.” </p><p>“Okay.” Annie mumbled as she took a seat on his bed. A few seconds later Ty came over with clothes in hand. </p><p>“Here you go!”</p><p>“Thanks. I’ll see you in the morning. Good night Ty.” Annie began to yawn as she got up to make her way to the guest room down the hall. </p><p>“You know you don’t have to leave yet. I don’t want to say good night yet.” Ty chuckled pulling Annie closer to him.</p><p>“If Maddie catches me in here. I’ll never be able to stay over again.” </p><p>“She won’t catch us. Plus, we’re both adults.”</p><p>“Someone’s living in the dangerous side. Sorry but I respect your mom’s rules. I love you.” Annie said as she kissed him before making her way out of his room.</p><p>“I love you too.”</p><p>Thanksgiving break had come and gone. Ty was back in Georgia finishing up last minute assignments, exams while preparing for finals. In just a little over a week he would be back in Serenity for awhile. To say he was excited would be an understatement. Of course he couldn’t wait to get out that small town but now he couldn’t wait to go back. He had no one other than Annie Sullivan to thank for that. He was caught in a thought when he heard his phone go off. He smiled when he saw it was his girl.</p><p>“Hey babe! I was just thinking about you.” Ty admitted.</p><p>“Hi.” Annie hesitated causing Ty to worry.</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I had another panic attack today. This time it was during my shift. You said no more secrets. I just thought you’d like to know.” Annie confessed causing Ty to worry slightly. </p><p>“Are you okay?” </p><p>“I am now. I should let you get back to studying. We’ll talk soon.”</p><p>“Studying can wait for a few more minutes.”</p><p>“Ty don’t worry. I’m okay. You really need to get back to studying.” Annie pressed as she knew how stressful the end of the semester was on him. He needed to focus on that and not her.</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>“Yes. We can talk later.”</p><p>“I love you.”</p><p>“I love you too, Townsend.” Annie ended the call before Ty could keep her on the line any longer. </p><p>The next week had gone by quickly while Annie hadn’t really spoken to Ty, she knew he was busy with finals. But he’d be home soon enough and she couldn’t wait. She herself was busy but it was nothing compared to Ty’s busy schedule. </p><p>Tonight was a semi busy night at Sullivan’s, Annie was even busier because she was the only waitress on the floor tonight. Of course Issac, Erik and the other kitchen staff helped her out every chance they could but it wasn’t enough. Annie got a text from Ty earlier that evening saying he’d be back home tonight. That was the only thing that was keeping her from having another panic attack.</p><p>Annie heard the  bell go off signaling that someone had just walked in. She didn’t look up she didn’t really have time to. “Y’all can sit wherever you’d like. I’ll be with you as soon as I can. We’re really busy tonight.” Annie explained but she didn’t need to because anyone with eyes could see how busy it was.</p><p>Ty looked around Sullivan’s it upset him how Dana Sue refused to hire more help. No wonder Annie was having panic attacks. Ty, Gabe and a few of their new friends found a spot in a corner booth. Ty’s worry for Annie’s well-being was written all over his face. Gabe could see it, heck everyone at their table could see it.</p><p>“So that’s your girl, huh?” Charlie asked who was one of Ty’s roommates at the university.</p><p>“It sure is.” Ty chuckled as he continued to watch Annie’s every move.</p><p>Ty noticed that both Isaac and Erik pointed in his direction. He was shocked they could see him. He shook his head letting them know that Annie didn’t see him come in. Issac gave him an apologetic look as he knew Annie was having a rough night. </p><p>Things had finally died down. The restaurant was now empty except for the corner booth that Annie had completely forgotten about. She hoped that they wouldn’t be too upset. Annie walked over to the booth that Ty was seated at with his friends. She hadn’t made eye contact with him or anyone else yet. “Sorry about the wait. What can I get y’all to drink?” Annie asked as she pulled out one of her colorful pens.</p><p>“It was worth the wait to see the most gorgeous girl in the world. Hi Annabelle!” Ty smirked as he got up to hug her. The sound of Ty’s voice caused Annie to look up instantly. </p><p>Annie couldn’t believe it Ty was home. For the first time in a long while she felt that the weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. “You’re home!” Annie screamed excitedly as she felt Ty pull her in for a long awaited hug. </p><p>“I’ve missed my girl.” Ty said as he pulled her closer to him wrapping his arms around her waist. </p><p>“I’ve missed you more.” Annie blushed as she didn’t want to let him go. But she felt Ty break their embrace.</p><p>“I’ll be right back.” Ty said as he went and whispered something to both Issac and Erik before walking over to the doors locking them and turning off the open sign.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Annie asked as Ty made his way back over to the group.</p><p>“Sullivan’s is closed. If your mom gets mad about it she can take it up with me. Come on sit down.” Ty said as he took Annie’s hand leading her over to some empty seats at the table..</p><p>“My mom is gonna kill the both of us. Wait, aren’t y’all hungry?” Annie asked as she tried to get back up but Ty pulled her closer to him so she couldn’t move.</p><p>“I already took care of that. Now you’re not going to move another muscle. The guys and I can help close. Isn’t that right y’all?” Ty gave them a stern look letting them know they better back him up.</p><p>“Absolutely.” Gabe was the first to answer and he could see how worn out Annie was. It’s not like anyone of them had anything better to do anyway.</p><p>Soon Issac and Erik brought of the food they made for the table, including Annie. Issac put a plate in front of Annie. She looked down at the food that was on the plate and chuckled. A grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Her favorite. </p><p>Ty watched Annie as she took a bite of the sandwich, she couldn’t help but smile. This was the best thing  she tasted in a long while. “Thank you.” Annie whispered as she rested her head on Ty’s shoulder. </p><p>The rest of the night went by pretty quick with the help from Ty, Gabe, their friends, Issac and Erik they were able to get out of there by midnight. Ty made his way over to Annie as she double checked to make sure everything was good to go before they headed home. Annie looked around to see that everyone had disappeared it was just her &amp; Ty now. “You ready to go?” Ty asked as he pulled Annie in for a hug.</p><p>“Absolutely. I’m so exhausted. Thank you for everything you did tonight. I don’t know what I did to deserve it.” </p><p>“Let’s get you home. I’d do anything for you. I was worried when I saw how stressed you were that it could cause you to have another panic attack. I just wanted to de-escalate the situation before it got to that point.”</p><p>“Thank you. So, my mom is out of town again. You can spend the night if you’d like.” Annie said as she couldn’t look at Ty not after she basically just invited him to spend the night.</p><p>“I’d love that. I’ll text my mom letting her know I’m staying at Gabe’s.” Ty said as he opened the passenger side door for her. </p><p>“Maddie’s not going to buy that you’re staying at Gabe’s. You foolish boy.” Annie chuckled as Ty got into the car. </p><p>“Probably not, but she can’t stop me! Let’s get you home.” Ty said as he headed in the direction of the Sullivan residence.</p><p>The next month and a half that Ty was home on break was the greatest thing in the world for Annie. He would help her out at the restaurant every chance he could. It made Annie feel like she was the luckiest girl in the world. She had no idea what she did to deserve him. </p><p>Soon Ty was heading back to finish off the rest of his freshman year. He knew he’d see Annie when he came home for spring break while his friends went off to some tropical island. Of course they invited him but he declined. He much rather go home to Serenity. They also planned to have Annie come visit during her spring break. She’d get to see him pitch a college game. </p><p>Annie and Ty made sure they made time for one another until they could see each other during their spring breaks. If they weren’t texting each other, someone would find them FaceTiming or calling each other. They were making the long distance thing work. </p><p>Annie’s spring break had come and gone. She got to see her guy pitch in a college game and nothing made her happier than to see him so happy to be doing the one thing he loved more than anything. As much as Annie knew Ty loved her, she knew baseball was his first love. </p><p>Ty’s first year at the University of Georgia finally came to a close. Cal and Maddie drove down to help him pack it all up. Even though most of it would be going into storage. He didn’t need to bring it all back to Serenity.<br/>
Meanwhile, back in Serenity, Annie found herself looking at prom dresses. She wasn’t even sure Ty would want to go with her. Annie pulled out her phone and pushed 1 on her speed dial. She waited impatiently for her boyfriend to pick up as she continued to look at dresses.</p><p>“Hi Annie!” Ty said as Annie could tell he was indeed exhausted. </p><p>“Hi, I have a question for you. Feel free to say no. Would you go to prom with me Ty Townsend? I know you’re beyond the whole high school scene. We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Annie started rambling because she was nervous he’d say no.</p><p>“I’d love to go with you. Are you kidding? I’m not gonna let you miss out on your last prom.”</p><p>“We just don’t have the best track record with proms and all.”</p><p>“You know what they say? Third time is the charm! I can’t wait to see you. This time tomorrow I should be back in Serenity.”</p><p>“I can’t wait to see you either. I should let you go. I’ll see you soon.” </p><p>“Bye babe!” Ty said as he hung up the phone and went back to packing. </p><p>A few weeks had gone by and Ty and Annie were inseparable. They did everything together. Ty even helped her study for her finals. Annie found herself preparing for them now; she wasn’t going to be like the rest of her classmates waiting until the night before finals.</p><p>Prom was one of the best nights Annie had experienced in quite sometime. Ty was right third time was the charm. It was a night they’d always remember. Annie and Ty spent the whole night together. After prom things seemed to get even busier for Annie with graduation approaching. </p><p>She has no idea how it happened but she was somehow named valedictorian. How that happened was anyone’s guess. Of course the whole town kept asking Annie where she’d be attending college in the fall. She had received a few full scholarships. She knew exactly where she was attending but didn’t want to to let the cat out of the bag quite yet. Annie wouldn’t even tell Ty no matter how much he bugged she wasn’t going to budge. Whenever she attended college she’d be studying photography. Of course Dana Sue was skeptical but Annie knew she was on the right path for her. No matter what anyone else thought. </p><p>Graduation day arrived, Annie walked into the kitchen to see that her mom made her favorite banana chocolate chip pancakes. She took a seat at the table putting the napkin in her lap. Just as soon as she took a bite of the delicious pancakes sitting in front of her there was a knock at the door.</p><p>“I’ll get it. You need to eat. You’ve got a big day ahead of you.” Dana Sue hissed as she went to answer the door. Annie watched as her mom opened the door. “Tyler, come on in. Annie is in the kitchen.” Dana Sue pointed in the direction of the kitchen. </p><p>“Hi Ms. Dana Sue.” Ty said as he made his way into the kitchen where he found Annie.</p><p>“Hi, what are you doing here? I thought I’d see you at the ceremony later.” Annie said as she put the folk back on the plate. </p><p>“I know today is a pretty big day for you Ms. Valedictorian! I just wanted to see you.” Ty explained as he took a seat at the table. “Plus I wanted to give you these.” He handed her white roses.<br/>
“My favorite. You know me so well.” Annie said as she leaned over and kissed him.</p><p>It was almost time for Annie’s graduation, she could feel knots beginning to form in the pit of her stomach. She was moments away from having to give her valedictorian speech. Annie wasn’t sure she could go out there now. She had been okay up til this point. </p><p>“Please welcome the class of 2022’s valedictorian Ms. Annabelle Sullivan.” Principal Puckett announced. Annie heard her but she didn’t move. She just stood there backstage frozen. “Annabelle Sullivan.” Principal Puckett tried again. Annie still didn’t move a muscle.</p><p>Ty looked around at those around him as they begin to worry. “I’ll be right back.” Ty whispered as he went to go find Annie. </p><p>Ty found Annie backstage as he could tell by the look on her face that another panic attack was on the horizon of happening. He walked over to her and gentle put his hand on her shoulder trying not to startle her. “Hey, what’s going on?” Ty asked as he felt Annie latch onto him.</p><p>“I don’t know if I can go out there and give this speech. All eyes are going to be on me.” Annie said nervously.</p><p>“You can do it. Look, every time I get on the mound it terrifies me. I’m scared I’m going to let everyone down. But I just clear my head and take it one batter, one pitch and one inning at a time. Here’s what I want you to do, I want you to just picture that it’s just me out there. Just pretend you’re talking to me and only me. I’ll get you through this.” </p><p>“You always know what to say. How did I get so lucky?” Annie asked as she looked at her boyfriend with so much love and admiration. </p><p>“Are you kidding? I’m the lucky one. Now go out there and do your thing, Annie. We’ll get through this together.” Ty said as he kissed her forehead before making his way back to his seat.</p><p>Annie finally found her way on stage, the nerves were still there. “Sorry, Principal Puckett.” Annie whispered. Ms. Puckett didn’t say a word she just nodded.</p><p>“Ladies and Gentlemen, here’s your class of 2022 valedictorian Ms. Sullivan.” Principal Puckett announced.</p><p>Annie took a deep breath and looked at Ty who was looking right back at her. The fact that he was there calmed her. He was her safe haven. “You’ve got this Annie.” Ty yelled causing her to smile.</p><p>“Good afternoon, Graduates, family and friends.” Annie said as she began to give her speech. She did exactly as Ty suggested. She pictured him being the only one in the room with her. Ty’s eyes never once left Annie’s. As Annie finished her speech, “The last couple of months my family and friends have been badgering me about where I’ll be attending in the fall. I’ve given this a lot of thought weighing all of my options. I’ve decided to attend the University of Georgia where I’ll be majoring in photography.”</p><p>Annie’s friends and family all arrived at Sullivan’s to celebrate her graduating. She looked around to see all of those who held a special spot in her heart laughing and talking. Ty walked over to Annie wrapping his arms around her waist while leaning his chin on her shoulder. </p><p>“I’m so proud of you.” Ty whispered into her ear making her shiver.</p><p>“I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for always being there for me. Especially the last couple of months.” </p><p>“I’d do anything for you. I’ll always be here for you.” Ty said as he kissed her cheek. “I bet your mom isn’t thrilled about you going to UGA in the fall. Are you sure this is what you want?” He asked as he led her over an empty in the back where they wouldn’t be interrupted.</p><p>“Absolutely. There’s not a doubt in my mind. I want to go to UGA. They have an excellent photography program not to mention I have a full ride so I don’t have to worry about where the money is coming from. Trust me I thought long and hard about this. This is the right decision.”</p><p>“As long as you’re sure that this is what you want. Did you picking UGA have anything to do with me?”</p><p>“In a way yes. One year of long distance was enough for me. I don’t think I can do another four. But you weren’t the main reason I picked there.”</p><p>“You know if you picked somewhere else we’d make it work. We’d have a better handle on the whole long distance thing.”</p><p>“Are you trying to get me to pick somewhere else? It’s kind of already too late for that Ty. I told them I would be attending months ago.”</p><p>“No. Believe me I’m happy you’re going to be there with me. I just want to make sure this is what you truly want. I want you my girl to be happy. Your happiness is the most important thing to me.” </p><p>“This is what I want. I want to be wherever you are. No more long distance.”</p><p>“I love the sound of that.” </p><p>“Me too.” Annie said as she leaned her body back onto Ty’s chest. For the first time in a long while Annie felt relaxed. Annie felt Ty kiss her cheek causing her to blush. “I love you Tyler Townsend. That’s one thing that’ll never change. You know that right?”</p><p>“I do know that. I’ll love you until the end of time Annabelle Sullivan.” </p><p>Everything that happened since Ty left for UGA last July felt  like a distant memory. They were able to come over the long distance that put a strain on their relationship. If they could make it through one year of hell when it came to the long distance they could make it through anything. In just a few months they’d be in Georgia together and they couldn’t wait. Annie Sullivan and Ty Townsend had their whole lives together to look forward to. Nothing was going to change that.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope y’all enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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